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Husbands and Wives
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow
Country of Origin: US
Writer: Scott MacDonald
Husbands and Wives follows Gabe and Judy (Woody Allen, Mia Farrow), a middle-aged married couple who have grown comfortable, but distant in their marriage. One night their friends Sally and Jack arrive to have a night on the town, but announce their decision to separate, not in a particularly distraught manner, but in a friendly way that makes Gabe and Judy at first concerned for their friends well-being, but also for the state of their own marriage. The film then details both relationships as the 2 couples begins to try and navigate the waters of married life, and life outside of marriage after a long term relationship.
Husbands and Wives is a fairly complex film from director/writer Allen. It is shot by cinematographer Carlo DiPalma in a cinema verite style reminiscent of a documentary. That means the camera is quite a bit shaky at times, and I believe this is an attempt to make the film feel like we are viewing a slice of these character's lives. As such it doesn't feel as directly comedic, nor dramatic as some of Allen's other films from the period. There are certainly funny moments, but there is a dark, more realistic tone present here, and I would be hard pressed to find another Woody Allen film that is like Husbands and Wives. One could easily argue that this film feels like a summary of some of the director's themes until this point (themes, he could continue to explore regardless, but still).
Twilight Time presents Husbands and Wives with a DTS-HD MA mono track in English that represents the audio well, and everything sounds clear and concise. The transfer looks quite solid with a 1:85:1 aspect ratio in a 1080p image. Detail is quite solid, blacks are deep, flesh tones are accurate. Grain is natural, but kept at a minimum. Extras include a trailer and isolated score.
The Film (4/5)
Audio/Video (4/5)
Extras (1/5)
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Manhattan Murder Mystery
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
Country of Origin: US
Writer: Scott MacDonald
Diane Keaton and Woody Allen play Carol and Larry Lipton a middle-aged New York City intellectual couple who find themselves at a dull point in their lives when their son is off to college. One night they find themselves in the company of their elderly neighbors Lillian and Paul House. Soon after, Lillian dies unexpectedly, and Carol suspects foul play, for even though it appears to have been from natural causes Paul is acting too upbeat for a newly widowed man. Carol begins to investigate the situation and begins to turn up clues that lead her to find a deep conspiracy in the death of Lillian. However, this creates a dangerous situation for Larry, and their friends.
Manhattan Murder Mystery is my favorite 90's Woody Allen film. I remember seeing it on TV when I was a kid, possibly more than once, and though being too young to get the full implications of the films themes on marriage and infidelity found the film quite entertaining. Rewatching it on Blu-ray now, I found it a charming mix of comedy, drama, with an intriguing mystery at its center. The cast for this one is IMPECCABLE. But that is expected of an Allen film as he excels at bringing top quality talent for his films. Diane Keaton does great work bringing to life a wife who is not quite satisfied with her marriage, living an increasingly dull life, who suddenly finds herself thrust into the most unique situation of her life. She is supported by the exceptional combination of Anjelica Huston, Alan Alda, and Allen brining his usual neurotic character type.
Twlight Time brings Manhattan Murder Mystery to Blu-ray in an excellent 1:85:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer. The Blu-ray replicates the natural look of the film, the lighting is warm, the colors are well reproduced and detail is fine. Audio is handled by a DTS-HD MA 1.0 track in English that sounds fine and handleds the dialogue and score well. Extras include a trailer and isolated score.
The Film (4/5)
Audio/Video (4/5)
Extras (1/5)
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My Cousin Rachel (1952)
Director: Henry Koster
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Richard Burton, Audrey Dalton
Country of Origin: US
Writer: Dakota Drobnicki
A year before Henry Koster directed Richard Burton in The Robe, he helmed the notorious thespian’s first Hollywood performance in this adaptation of a Daphne du Maurier book. Richard Cukor, who went on to direct A Star is Born, was originally slated to direct instead until disagreements with 20th Century Fox led to his departure.
I have not read the book this film is based on, nor have I seen the newer adaptation starring Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin, so I more or less went into the story cold. The gist is as follows: Burton plays a rather naïve orphan named Philip Ashley who was raised under the care of his cousin Ambrose’s estate. Ambrose later marries their other cousin Rachel (played by Gone With The Wind’s own Olivia de Havilland) in Florence and later dies of a hereditary brain tumor.
Before his death, Ambrose had sent a series of paranoid letters to Philip claiming suspicion of Rachel; his caretaker Nick (Ronald Squire) tries to convince Philip the letters were written of unsound mind. Philip embarks to Florence to investigate and get revenge for Ambrose’s death, but finds that he was the heir to Ambrose’s estate instead of Rachel. He returns home and meets Rachel, hoping to get revenge on her but instead develops a quick and frightening infatuation for her.
During this process, he tries to woo her with expensive family jewelry and at one point offers her the entire estate he inherited, all in an attempt to marry her. At one point after she publicly rejects his vow of marriage as crazy talk, he chokes her on a staircase and tells her to never leave. He soon falls ill and hallucinates a marriage ceremony for the two of them, believing it to be real once he awakens. His suspicions continue until a tragic end comes of them.
What we have here is a beautifully-lensed Gothic romance mired in dread and ambiguity from reel to reel, with its excellent stable of actors serving as the linchpin for what may have been an otherwise dry affair. The marketing banked hard on the more established de Havilland, and while her performance as Rachel is wonderful, make no mistake that Burton is the real shining star of this production. Philip is incredibly naïve, with a childlike worldview far from equipped to deal with his feelings for Rachel or the ambiguity of the world around him in a healthy way.
By the time the movie meets its tragic end, it’s easy to lay quite a bit of the blame on Philip’s own childishness and refusal to listen to the voices of reason around him. However, de Havilland’s performance as the extravagant Rachel does succeed in building up a suspicious air that, for me, kept the twist from becoming obvious up until it was much too late.
This film seems to have been relegated to a footnote status for both of the major players involved, if only because of the far more culturally significant films they have been tied to, but I would be remiss to say that its obscurity is entirely deserved. Burton received an Academy Award nomination for his performance, but lost the Oscar to Anthony Quinn in Viva Zapata.
Twilight Time’s Blu-ray provides a wonderful transfer framed at 1.37:1. My Cousin Rachel may not feature lavish and sprawling anamorphic photography like The Robe would, but its subdued, colorless photography is a better fit for the subject matter. The transfer provided not only maintains fine detail in the film’s excellent production design, but also showcases some background trickery like matte paintings and rear projection in a few scenes. Audio is presented in 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and sounds perfectly fine for the period it was recorded in.
The typical isolated soundtrack feature is thrown in as a bonus and Fox have provided a vintage trailer banking on de Havilland’s “return” to acting, but the real kicker here is a 52-minute radio dramatization of the story, featuring a reprisal of the title role by de Havilland. It feels like a hurried read-through of the film’s script, with Ron Randell doing his best Richard Burton impression. There’s a moment of unintentional humor at about the halfway mark; when the drama cuts to a break right after Philip chokes Rachel, a previously unheard audience can be heard applauding at an unfortunately timed moment. Julie Kirgo provides a nice three-page essay in the accompanying booklet.
The Film – (4.5/5)
Audio/Video (4/5)
Extras – (3.5/5)
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Doctor Doolittle
Director: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar
Country of Origin: US
Writer: Tyler Miller
When a young boy named Stubbins (William Dix), finds a wounded Duck on the road, he meets up with a friend named Matthew (Anthony Newley) and tries to find a doctor for the job. Luckily Matthew knows the infamous Doctor Dolittle (Rex Harrison), who just happens to have to special ability to talk to animals. The three soon form a friendship, as they go on a series of misadventures to find a legendary Pink sea snail.
DOCTOR DOLITTLE was one of the giant over budget films of the 1960's. When it was released in 1967, it was against the tide of exciting new cinema coming from Hollywood. With films like MIDNIGHT COWBOY, THE WILD BUNCH, BONNIE AND CYLDE, and THE GRADUATE, the new Hollywood movement was on its way. So, from a history perspective DOCTOR DOLITTLE is a strange over budget dud.
From this stand point, the movie is a curiosity. It had all the markings of a sure-fire hit. But simply dropped the ball. I'm not really a fan of musicals but I can see why they’re popular. With music by Leslie Bricusse (Candy Man in WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.) The film has the beats and the style, but at the end of the day it's all a misfire.
Directed by Richard Fleischer, who also gave us SOYLENT GREEN, FANTASTIC VOYAGE, and THE NARROW MARGIN, the film is filled with eye catching style, and polish. But where the film fails is in its script, which adapts three of the original Doctor Dolittle books. It's too busy and unfocused.
On the acting side, Rex Harrison (MY FAIR LADY) is charming as always and makes his part watchable. Unlike the Eddie Murphy remake, he learns all the animal languages, and it's highly goofy how he talks to his animal friends. Samantha Eggar (THE BROOD, WALK DON'T RUN) does what she can with a one note character of a spoiled girl with a lust for adventure. Richard Attenborough (JURASSIC PARK) also has a fun role of a circus ring leader. As for the musical numbers, the songs are oddly inserted into the film and the style, of talk singing doesn't work. Not a terrible film. But there is way better out there.
Twilight Time offers two main audio tracks. First up is the English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The sound mix is out of this world and bold. There is no hiss or pops. The second track is the English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio which overall is a softer mix. Likewise, there is no issues. There is the third option which is the Isolated music track, which spotlights the wonderful background music. English subtitles are included.
The 1080p HD picture is where the film shines. The vistas and valleys shine with bright greens and warm yellows. There is sharp focus and well balanced black levels.
On the extras side of things, we get a well-done commentary with Songwriter/ Screenwriter Leslie Bricusse and film historian Mike Matessino. Next up is a biography channel special called "Rex Harrison: The Man who would be King", which covers all of Harrison's career. Rounding out the set is the original trailer and liner notes by Julie Kirgo.
The Film 2.5/5
Audio/ Video 5/5
Extras 4/5
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L-Shaped Room
Director: Bryan Forbes
Cast: Leslie Caron, Tom Bell
Country of Origin: U.K.
Writer: Tyler Miller
Jane Fosset (Leslie Caron), is your normal 27- year old French woman, but she has a secret. After losing her virginity, she discovers she is pregnant. So, trying to make sense of it all she moves into a small flat in Notting Hill, London, as she straightens her life out. After dealing with a rude doctor, who quickly recommends abortion, she makes her mind up to keep the baby. Even if she would be a single mother.
Life in the apartment building is lonely, but she soon makes friends with her eccentric neighbors. With Toby the unemployed writer (Tom Bell) standing out of the pack. She soon finds herself falling for Toby, but how can she hold together a relationship with an unsuccessful writer, when he is unstable, and she is being told to get rid of her baby.
THE L-SHAPED ROOM (1962) is based on a novel of the same name, by a writer named Lynne Reid Banks. A book that was shocking for its time because of the subject matter, and its realist look at being a confused single mother. The film version also fits into a subgenre of British films called "Kitchen sink films". This was to account for the movies covering including the kitchen sink and showing life as it was. Much like Neo Realism and The French New wave.
Director and screenwriter Bryan Forbes (THE STEPFORD WIVES, SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON), keeps this style, and shows how grim and gritty the subject matter is. But this isn't to say the whole movie is gloom and doom. The script and cast give the production a real heart with its realist emotions and matter the fact stories. The minimalist score by John Barry (STARCRASH, James Bond films) and the camerawork by Douglas Slocombe, give the movie it's jazzy early 60's style.
Leslie Caron (GIGI, FATHER GOOSE), gives one of her best performances as the young mother. Nothing about her role, feels fake or forced. And she handles the nonstop drama and bullshit with class. Tom Bell gives life to the ultimately worthless and selfish writer character Toby. Brock Peters (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, STAR TREK 6 THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY), makes a likable Jazz player next door. In the liner notes by Julie Kirgo, there is some mention, that he may be a closet gay man, which on a second viewing I can start to see. But speaking of LGBT characters, we now move on to the lovely ex actress neighbor played by Cicely Courtneidge (GHOST TRAIN), who is an out lesbian character in the movie. My only criticism is how dramatic they make her coming out scene, but hey it was 1962, So I'm glad we got something. Rounding the rest of the cast is a few parts for Patricia Phoenix, Bernard Lee, and Anthony Booth.
The English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track is near spotless with no hiss or pops. The sound mix is well leveled. The Isolated Music and effects track, spotlights John Barry's wonderful Jazz pieces. English subtitles are included.
The 1080p HD picture is another well done remaster. There is some minor film grain. But the blacks and greys are out of this world. There is no print damage or blur. On the extras side of things, we get a lively commentary with film historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman. Rounding the package is excellent liner notes by Kirgo, and the original theatrical trailer.
The Film 4.5/5
Audio/ Video 5/5
Extras 3/5
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The Hospital
Director: Arthur Hiller
Cast: George C. Scott, Diana Rigg
Country of Origin: US
Writer: Tyler Miller
Something strange is happening at Manhattan's Teaching Hospital. Doctors seem to be getting killed off in a way that makes them look like medial accidents. This couldn't come a worse time, as the Chief of Medicine, Dr. Bock (George C. Scott) is suffering from suicidal thoughts and may act on them at any time. But as the hospital gets sieged by deaths, angry family members, protesters, and Indian medic men, who knows what will happen. It's all just another day in the Life of an alcoholic Doctor.
THE HOSPITAL (1971) is a bittersweet satire of the US's medial field, from Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. Who would move on to write the classic script to NETWORK (1976). What strikes me about the material is its chaos, and scope. In many ways feeling in like with the works of Robert Altman (IMAGES, THE LONG GOODBYE). There is the overlapping dialogue, the uninterested Camera that just randomly walks away, and of course the realist and desperate characters. Brilliantly directed by Arthur Hiller (1970's THEOUT-OF-TOWNERS, LOVE STORY), The film works on many levels. Thanks to Hiller's comic timing, all the madness works.
The film's frank look at the increasing price of health insurance, and the way it's asked for, is something I sadly see all the time now. But in 1971 it was ahead of its time, and borderline shocking. When we first see George C. Scott, we quickly discover that he is the sanest and put together of the doctors working there. The poor communication, and lack of sleep effecting everyone.
George C. Scott (DR STRANGELOVE, THE EXORCIST 3) gives a tragic and daring performance as Dr. Bock. We get to see plenty of his uncut bursts of rage, but also some of his comic timing. He is more than a burnt-out Doctor, he is a dreamer with broken hopes. Diana Rigg (tv's THE AVENGERS, THEATRE OF BLOOD) plays the soulful Hippie woman, with a deep connection to Bock. The two of them are both suffering and after a moment of darkness where He almost kills himself, the two form a couple. Rigg handles the offbeat role to a Tee. Sadly, the movie does include a painful to watch rape scene between to two, which thankfully would never fly today. Rounding out the cast is some familiar faces like Frances Sternhagen (OUTLAND), Stockard Channing (GREASE), and opening narration from the screenwriter himself, Paddy Chayefsky.
Twilight Time does it again with another handsome sound mix and transfer. The English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio is well mixed and smooth. There is no hiss or pops. The film sounds clean as a whistle, with no off balanced noise. Speaking of score, there is the usual Isolated music and effects track, which spotlights some of the subtle ques is the mix. English subtitles are included.
The 1080p HD picture, is a sight to see. There is some natural film grain. Bold use of contrast and well-balanced Blacks. The focus is tight as well. Extras are limited to a Trailer and the usual booklet of liner notes by Julie Kirgo.
The Film 4/5
Audio/ Video 4.5/5
Extras 1/5
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Wuthering Heights
Director: Robert Forbes
Cast: Timothy Dalton, Anna Calder-Marchall
Country of Origin: U.K.
Writer: Tyler Miller
Based on Emily Bronte's classic novel, we see the story of the forbidden love Catherine (Anna Calder-Marshall) and Heathcliff (Timothy Dalton), but family, classic, and their own pride will make this difficult for them.
With a stellar cast and haunting locations, Robert Forbes' version of WUTHERING HEIGHTS, is an obscure beauty. The most well-known adaptation of Bronte's novel, is the 1939 version starring Laurence Olivier. A moody Black and white film, with its fair share of gothic wonder. But this 1970 version has sadly been hidden for too long. Director Robert Forbes would be later known for his horror films, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN, and the spooky Satan worshipping gem, THE DEVIL'S RAIN. In those films, he handled a mix of repulsion, comedy, and broken characters. All elements first seen here.
WUTHERING HEIGHTS does suffer from some tonal issues, and a disjointed pace. The first third of the movie drags on and were stuck with bored children actors. By the time it switches to the young adult section of the story, the momentum is lost. The third act gains some of the tension back, but by this point the narrative is rushed through the story beats. So, the last 45 minutes of story is a mess of tragedy after tragedy.
Despite this, Forbes and cinematographer John Coquillon establish a dreary and haunting mood. With lovely establishing shots of the moors and the valleys. Every scene soaked in the natural beauty of the locations. Something that is missed in some period pieces. It also shows the isolation of the story and mirrors the intense melodrama that is had. Another fantastic element is the score by Michel Legrand, who also composed the music to Jacques Demy's THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG and YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT.
Unlike the 1939 version, here Catharine and Heathcliff are shown to be more troubled and complex. With a sense of cruelty behind both. Timothy Dalton (this reviewer's favorite Bond in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS and LINCESE TO KILL) shows Heathcliff has a childish lover, with a strong jealous streak. Anna Calder-Marshall also shows a selfish side as Catherine. But I did laugh a few times during her fits of rage and self-pity. So perhaps a little too over the top. Rounding out the rest of the cast Is a fine performance by Julian Glover (FOR YOUR EYES ONLY), who makes his character likeable and has a true sense of rage. Direction that would come in handy for future roles.
Twilight Time cleans up this film and gives it a handsome transfer to boot. The English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio is mixed well and picks up the subtle sound effects of the wind in the hills and the crisp textures of materials. There is no hiss or pop issues. The score especially sounds great, which brings us to the Isolated Music track, that spotlights Legrand's score. English Subtitles are included.
On the extras side, we get an audio commentary by Film Historian Justin Humphreys. The track is filled with trivia and covers some of the footage deleted from the workprint release. Humphreys comes off as a knowledgeable guy, and the track moves along at a nice pace. Like most of Twilight Time's releases, we get a booklet of liner notes by Julie Kirgo, and the original theatrical trailer.
The Film 3/5
Audio/ Video 4.5/5
Extras 3/5
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